“Umm. Right.” My eyes followed the kid as he circled around us,finger tapping his chin like he was trying to figure out some sort of puzzle none of us could see. “Ah”—he snapped his fingers—"there."
Before I could react, he tapped my sternum twice, pinched his fingers together, and pulled. I gasped, clutching my chest as he tugged at an invisible string that seemed tethered to me.
Artton shifted to give Kaelun enough space to take a few steps back still holding the tether, the string now so taut I feared it would be ripped from me. Then, in a fluid motion, he flicked the invisible tether and released it.
It snapped back to me like a bowstring releasing an arrow. I cried out, my body flooding with power in a way I’d never experienced before. Only it wasn’t just in me—I could sense it all around me like the infinite glowing threads I’d witnessed with Luca in the forest.
Looking proud of himself, the kid turned to Artton. “Try it now.”
I couldn’t help but feel like some sort of experiment as Artton re-assumed his position, index finger taunting me, but somehow as I lifted my finger to his, I knew this time would be different.
Chapter 25
Shielding 101
My power was no longer a depthless pool trapped within me. No, whatever Kaelun did had somehow opened the spark’s cage so completely that it flooded my system with a buzzing fervor that bordered a fine line between pleasure and pain.
Not confident in manifesting the raw powers now woven into every fiber of my being, I willed a single ember to emerge like I’d done a million times before—only this time it was different, like it was charged. The tiny fragment of magic tingled as it traveled from my core to my waiting fingertip, then pounced.
“Fuck.” Artton snapped his hand back, pain etched in his features. He took in a few steadying breaths before shaking his hand like he was trying to fling something off of it. Then he lifted it up to inspect it.
“Shit,” Sidrick said with wide eyes as he looked over Artton’s shoulder. I stared at the black veins marring his skin—eerily similar to the ones I’d given Thaddeus and Tarrin the first time I’d wielded.
Kaelun whistled long and loud. “That looks like it hurts.”
“No shit,” Artton clipped.
I watched with morbid curiosity as his fae body slowly healed away the evidence of my powers.
Caius turned his focus to Kaelun. “Is it different from what Endymion experienced?”
“Nah. It wouldn’t be.” He shrugged as if this was the most normal conversation. “Same power, but now she can sense it better. If anything”—he cocked his head to the side—"she would’ve hit him with a lot—and I mean alot—more." He pulled his hands out like he did before to indicate an explosion.
“Wasn’t he tapped?” Sidrick asked.
Caius nodded, and I could’ve sworn that information made his third uneasy.
“Whoa, really? That’s badass,” Kaelun said, hero worship practically dripping of him.
“Or idiotic,” Artton jabbed.
“But there wasn’t a mark on him,” Sidrick countered, that disconcerted look still etched into his features. “How is that possible?”
“Sorry,” I interjected their next tangent as I was done with being ignored, “can someone explain who this kid is and how in Lumnara he knows so much about my powers?”
A smile lit Sidrick’s features, whipping away all other emotion as he stepped up to Kaelun and slung an arm over his shoulder. “This is my kid brother,” he said, chest out with pride.
“Your… brother,” I repeated blinking up at them. Shit, the kid felt familiar—reminding me of Eithan—but damn if I hadn’t missed him being the spitting image of his older brother. Same richly tanned skin, blond hair, and elegantly sharp curves to their ears. The only difference outside of age was their eye color. Sidrick’s were the deepest brown, like rich, fertile soil that lacked the green pulling Kaelun’s into a lighter hazel.
My eyes darted to Artton. Or I supposed,UncleArtton. The longer I tried to reconcile their family ties, the more I’d say the surly fae’s features were closer to Endymion’s than these two.
“You’re all related?” I asked, giving them another once-over.
“Nah.” Kaelun chuckled, pushing his older brother away. “I’ve just known Uncle Artton my whole life, but Uncle Caius is Ma’s brother.”
“Meaning you’re not actually related to Myron and Fiora.”
“Nope. But I’ve always called them aunt and uncle.”
